Limitation of speed limits

[Ford_man]

Argue for or against limitation of speed limits.

[red oaks lumber]

my opinion slow drivers pose more hazards than fast ones. whats worse is the slow ones in the fast lane "hello" slower traffic stay in the right lane.

[beenthere]

Ford_man
What is a "limitation of speed limits" ??  seems it is an oxymoron.

Arguing for/against a limitation, or for/against a speed limit? or ??

Just curious...

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Hardly do this but I have to agree with Beenthere. 

[r.man]

My pet peeve is doing speed limit, since I believe in obeying the law, and having cars tailgate and pass in unsafe area's. I would prefer any speed limit to be strictly enforced or raise it to one that will be strictly enforced. I like photo radar.

[Den Socling]

I do the limit and a little more often on highways. I do the limit and a little under on country roads. I hate it when people tailgate or fly by me like I'm standing still.  >:(

[Cedarman]

Much rather they use a speed camera rather than a stop sign as a target.

[slider]

R.man I see your point about being safe but the photo radar is a revenue enhancement tool .I wish you were trucking during the Jimmy Carter days .Trying to make delivery and restricted to 55 mph on an interstate that was safe at 75 has put a bad taste in my mouth for speed limits.If you happen to pass through Georgia on an interstate watch who is setting up speed traps ,county cops and city police .It's about money more than safety .

[thecfarm]

Speed cameras are not allowed in Maine. Or They can't be used to fine you,is what I mean. But the last few months,seem like every time we are out I see a sheriff either sitting or going by us. One of these days it will cost me a couple hundred dollars.

[yukon cornelius]

in my opinion only!! slow drivers are not more hazardous with the exception of hazardous to fast drivers. I was in fire and ems for a good part of my life and never saw a slower driver rearend someone that they couldn't get stopped for, run off a corner they couldn't get turned for, run across an intersection they couldn't get stopped for hit farm/ slow speed equipment, equipment they couldn't avoid/ roll over,...I could go on and on. slow speed collisions are rarely deadly or serious.

im a reformed fast driver. I used to drive as fast as I could and brag about it. now,I am happy at 60 and under. I do my best to be courteous. if im going slow and someone comes up behind me I will pull off and let them pass. if I cant pull off I will speed up to the limit.

my opinion of a set speed limit is this. with no speed limit it is up to the enforcement officer to decide careless and imprudent driving as in driving too fast. my example of this is this. several years ago Missouri passed a law to allow drivers and passenger windows to be tinted to no more than 35%. I had the same state trooper stop me twice for the same thing. the conversation goes like this " hello, the reason I stopped you is your window tinting is too dark. I have a meter here and I will show you. oh, it says 35%! it looked darker. have a good day." I was upset! I know they are doing their job, but I felt it was the same as stopping me because it looked like I was going to fat without knowing how fast I was going.

I see both sides of the speed argument I just side on the old man driving  :D

[sprucebunny]

Obey the speed limit especially trucks that are not on an Interstate !!!

Sorry but my cars don't go 70, I can't afford to drive 70.

[red oaks lumber]

i for one dont tailgate ill wait till there is safe area to pass :)but if your in the passing lane on a freeway and i come up on you dont play traffic cop and slow me down. at that point you'll get a mirror full of my front end.  ;) i may die in a wreck tomorrow but as of this post i have never even had a fender bender, its the slow poor drivers i contantly watch out for. so the next time you getting your doors blown off and your flipping the american bird just think it might just be me :D plus its maybe my ticket if i get stopped which is very rare.
sammy hagar has my song... " i can't drive 55" ;D

my dad drives slow and scares the hell out of me 8)

[terry f]

   Some people can drive fast, some think they can. 55 was too slow, Oregon is still using it on all but interstate. Jimmy Carter didn't have anything to do with it, Bill Clinton gave it back to the states.

[SLawyer Dave]

I see both sides of the debate.  I sit as a traffic judge three days a month, (and drive over 500 miles a week on average).  This afternoon, I had 34 arraignments and 10 trials.  The vast majority of speeding tickets (at least that I deal with), are for exceeding the Legal speed limit, not necessarily the Safe speed limit.  I have absolutely no problem with someone being penalized for driving in an unsafe matter.  However, I do sometimes feel that the current speed laws are more of a revenue and control tool rather than strictly necessary, (that doesn't mean I won't enforce them, as that is the law), but I do have my own reservations about some.   

Today I had a gentleman plead no contest to driving with an open container.  The ticket indicated that he was pulled over for speeding, but the officer just gave him a warning, but while talking to him, saw a beer can on the floor board.  Again, just hearing one side, the defendant claimed that the officer did a full sobriety check and that he blew a 0.0 on the breathalyzer.  He claimed that he had picked up someone else's beer can that was left where he had been camping, because he always tries to leave places he camps in better shape than when he found them.  I encouraged him to withdraw his no-contest plea and set the matter for trial, because if what he told me about the breathalyzer and the can being dry and empty is true, then I have some real concerns about why a police officer would cite someone under such questionable circumstances. 

Every person in the law enforcement chain (including judges), swear an oath to uphold not only the law, but to use discretion in enforcing such laws so that Justice is ultimately upheld.  Sometimes officers, judges, and others who are "empowered" to uphold the law, forget that they need to exercise such power with proper discretion.  Justice is not blindly imposing the letter of the law, but trying to apply the law REASONABLY to the unique circumstances present in each case.  Not every violation of the law should result in a ticket or fine.

[Cedarman]

My problem is with speed laws that have trucks at a 10 MPH lower speed limit than cars.  Many trucks have governors on them that keep them from driving too fast.  But when one of them tries to pass another and it takes 10 miles because one won't slow down to let the other pass.  I would give both truckers tickets for impeding the flow of traffic.

[Ianab]

I understand the need for speed limits on public roads. I mean you can go and buy a car off the local dealer that can do 150 mph. We simply don't have ANY roads that will support that speed safely.

One of the big aggravations locally is the that most roads are just 2 lane highway, with occasional passing lanes. Usually on an uphill section, to make it easier to pass trucks and slow traffic. If the traffic is heavy, or on a section of winding road, that's the only places you can overtake. But you get Nana that drives 50mph on the open road.. Then a passing lane comes along, and it's a nice wide open stretch, and they speed up to 70mpg.  :

Now passing them isn't a problem in a 270 hp hatchback, it's that the cops set up the speed cameras at the end of those passing lanes.  >:(

[Ron Wenrich]

I've been noticing that the large trucks are starting to think they own the road.  Jersey garbage trucks fly down the road.  I've had truckers cut me off on numerous occasions.  They simply come over into my lane.  I've watched them shut roads down by driving slow in both lanes.  I've heard that in Europe, trucks can only use the right hand lane.  That might not be a bad idea.

I also hate the drivers that drive in the left lane.  I've been noticing that more and more.  The biggest problem is if you're in the right hand lane and want to turn left.  These morons are in that lane and you can't get over.  The police drive in that lane and I don't think I've ever seen them pull someone over for that. 

As for speed limits, they seem to be more of a suggestion.  I generally go with the flow.  I don't see cops with radar too much, since we don't allow the local cops to use it in PA.  They've been fighting to get it, and when they do, it'll be a cash cow for them.  They have other methods, but they're not as accurate or as portable.  Rarely do I see state cops in a radar setup.  They do it on the turnpike, since there are more cops per mile on that road.  I don't know if I've seen a speed camera.  They do have cameras at some of the stop lights, but that's not for speed.

The local town has their traffic lights synchronized for 35 and a speed limit of 25.  You get to sit at a lot of lights.  I take my business to another town further away.  It's actually quicker than setting through lights.

[coxy]

as ron wenrich said the garbage trucks here on 17 are just nuts they don't give two ships about anyone on Tuesday I got be hind one loaded coming from the city 80-85 this guy was moving if he ever hit someone it would be all over  if that was me in my log truck I would be cuffed and stuffed and the key would be thrown away the D O T don't seem to bother them  just my 3cents they should be governed at 70 plenty fast for a big truck just my 3 cents

[drobertson]

busy interstate highways can be a chore at times, it seems that when too many all drive the same speed it tends to bogg down the flow, then you get the folks that seem to snap and then pass on the right, I've seen some pretty dumb stunts, there are the ones that seem to like to get in the left lane and go slow, and ignore everyone, as if they are the only ones on the road, this is a good ranting topic :D

[Ford_man]

Ok This was a subject that my grandsons school wanted him to wright a 5 paragraph composition on.
I could not understand what the were wanting. All of you answered it the same way that I would . that was not what they wanted. Thanks for all your input. 

[drobertson]

maybe it was how much over one can push the speed limit?   I have heard that five over is acceptable, nine over will draw some attention, 10 over often brings a fine, but so much is based on the officers discernment.
Driving conditions play a large roll in all of it.

[beenthere]

Ok This was a subject that my grandsons school wanted him to wright a 5 paragraph composition on.
I could not understand what the were wanting. All of you answered it the same way that I would . that was not what they wanted. Thanks for all your input. 

So the wording that really doesn't make much sense (to me) was the teacher making the assignment. Now that makes sense to me, God Bless our teachers and their frailty.

[red oaks lumber]

if your under nine your fine ,over nine your mine. one officer told me as i was getting a warning. i did the math quickly in my head and realized this guy missed his true calling (rocket scientist) :D i was 17 mph over  :D :D

[barbender]

I sometimes think they should raise the speed limits, and then enforce them, with no grace area. By that I mean, if the limit says 70 mph, you should only drive 67 mph so you don't get up to 71 coming down a hill. 71 is over the limit and you get ticketed. When the speed limit is 55, and most traffic is moving at 65+ mph and no one is pulled over for it, what is the speed limit, really? I paper mill I used to haul wood to has a 15 mph limit on the premises,  if they clocked you at 16mph, you got thrown out for a week. Most everyone obeyed that limit ;)

[timberlinetree]

When I was a kid I herd of a road in Germany where there was no speed limit and you could go 100mph. Some times on the highway I think I'm in Germany with the fast cars driving buy! :D